Complete our contact lens questionnaire.

Battledome on UPN: The warrior, Sleepwalker, is an exotic destroyer with the eyes of a cat

If you would like to order special effects contact lenses and already have an optometrist, please have your doctor complete our Special Effects Contact Lens Referral form.

We are one of the leading providers of specialty contact lenses for the entertainment industry. We have worked extensively with film, television, cable, advertising and theater productions.  We custom design lenses according to the specifications and needs of the creative team. We provide a wide range of services, including on-site production support for talent.  

Here are examples of some of our work:

Shaquille O'Neal – We gave Shaq "superhuman" vision for the ride "Terminator 2:3D" at Universal Studios Hollywood and Florida.

Hellraiser IV -  We put the devil in the eyes of horror icon Pinhead

LL Cool J – was transformed into a shark with our specially designed lenses for the video "Deepest Bluest, Shark's Fin" from the movie, "Deep Blue Sea".

Battledome on UPN – one of the warriors is an exotic destroyer with the eyes of a cat

Steel Harbinger - We created the icy cold eyes of this CD ROM's action heroine

Other work includes: "Godzilla", "Congo", "Carnival of Souls", "Sleepstalker", Italian Vogue with Demi Moore, "Young & the Restless", "Pre",  "Bonechillers", "Children of the Corn".

More About Special FX Contacts

Special effects contact lenses have evolved over the years thanks to a combination of technology and ingenuity.  In the late 60's, optometrists who pioneered this field found ways to incorporate colors and designs into hard scleral contact lenses that covered the entire front surface of the eye.  These lenses allowed the movie industry to create realistic and dramatic looking monsters, vampires and other characters. However these early special FX contact lenses were uncomfortable, and could not be worn for long, because of insufficient tear exchange and oxygen to the eyes. The fitting for these hard scleral lenses was also uncomfortable because it involved taking an impression or mold of the actor's eyes. This sent shivers down many actors' spines!

 In the 70's, soft contact lenses became available.  The main advantage of soft vs. hard contact lenses is that they are generally easier to fit, and require less time to adapt to. Actors are often comfortable enough to be filmed in these lenses on the first day of wear! The problem with soft lenses is that they are water-filled polymers which are more difficult to tint.  It is also more difficult to achieve as fine a design on soft lenses than on hard lenses. However, brilliant colors such as fluorescence, blue or green screen lenses, cat eyes and insect eyes can be created.

Hard lenses are often still used though because special effects such as mirrors and glitter can only be made with a rigid lens.  The fitting process is also no longer traumatic because a mold of the eye is rarely needed.

New materials and techniques are being developed to allow optometrists to create more spectacular and believable effects for the entertainment industry.

Special FX contact lenses are also now available for the general public. For the first time, some designs are available as stock lenses which means that these lenses are more affordable and more readily available. So the next time you attend a special party or event, such as Halloween or Mardi Gras, consider really going in style with theatrical contact lenses.

© 2007 Hollywood Vision Center
955 South Carrillo Drive, Suite 105, Los Angeles, California 90048
Contact Us at Hollywood_Vision@yahoo.com Tel: 323-954-5800